Brest or Bust!

For my next major Flames Of War project, I'm going to make a US Rifle Company based on on of my favorite divisions: the 2nd 'Indianhead' Infantry Division. The Indianheads fought in Normandy, following the 1st and 29th ashore at Omaha Beach. After securing the beachhead they moved to St. Lo and participated in the fight there which would eventually propel US forces deep into France.

After St. Lo, the Indianheads raced west into Brittany and joined with the 29th and 8th Infantry Divisions in the siege of the important port city of Brest. The 2nd formed the left flank of the line, sending out several task forces to secure the Daoulas Peninsula which overlooked the city, a perfect place for artillery to set up.

The battle lasted 90 days with the Indianheads fighting through heavily defended streets and tough German fortifications.

The reason I chose the 2nd was because of its use as an experimental division. Whenever the US army needed to experiment with a tactic or method, they'd use the 2nd. As a result the division had quite a strange collection of skills in its curriculum vitae, from winter training to urban warfare tactics and equipment. Before the war they even played around with airborne tactics, helping the army to understand the fundamentals of air-deployable forces.

In the end, the Indianheads are a fascinating division and one I'm really excited to represent on the tabletop. So, with out further delay, lets talk lists!

I think that this is the force I'd like to paint up:

HQ (2x Carbine teams)
3x Rifle Platoons
1x Weapons Platoon (4x M1919 LMG, 2x 60mm mortars)
1x Anti-tank Platoon (3x 57mm ANti-tank guns and lots of Bazookas)
1x I&R Platoon (4x Rifle teams and recon Jeeps)
1x Tank Platoon (5x Sherman tanks)
1x Tank Destroyer Platoon (4x M18 Hellcats)
1x Field Battery (105mm)
1x Chemical Mortar Battery
1x 155mm SP Gun Battery (4x M12 155mm SP)
Air Support (3x P-47 aircraft)

Surprisingly, for all the Americans I have painted up I don't actually have a lot painted up already, save for the tanks and tank destroyers. Looks like I'll have a bit of work to do! I'll keep you posted as I churn through the list!

Regards,
-M